PAKISTAN: FLOODS IN BALUCHISTAN

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1 PAKISTAN: FLOODS IN BALUCHISTAN appeal no: 08/98 12 March 1998 THIS APPEAL SEEKS CHF 775,000 IN CASH, KIND AND SERVICES TO ASSIST 40,000 BENEFICIARIES FOR 6 MONTHS Summary From 3 March onwards rain falling in Iran and the foothills north of the Kech Valley in Baluchistan, Pakistan, swelled the Kech and Nihing rivers: where they combine to become the Dasht the flow became extremely violent. The torrent covered entire river valleys and washed away all houses, structures, irrigation systems and most crops in its path. The death toll could reach as high as 1,800 but due to the remoteness of the villages, damage to telecommunications systems and the extent of the flooding it may be some days before the full extent of the devastation is known. The affected area of Makran division is only accessible via flights to Turbat. Even under normal conditions, the region is 24 hours away from Karachi by road (and 800 km. from the nearest Red Crescent Branch in Quetta). The longer-term impact of this freak storm includes the destruction of agricultural land and water wells, as well as serious damage to irrigation systems for food crops in the region. The Disaster Unprecedented rains wreaked havoc in the area on Tuesday 3 March, when the Dasht river system was hit by flash floods that swept away more than 100 villages. This is a normally arid part of Pakistan where floods are extremely rare. As the water rushed across the sandy land it destroyed water irrigation systems, wells, farmland, houses, and food stores. Assessments, conducted by field teams, are ongoing but are hampered by damage to infrastructure. Provincial and local Red Crescent branches continue to provide the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) headquarters with the latest information.

2 Area affected Approximately 1.5 million acres Rivers in Makran division, near Turbat: Dasht, Nihing and Kech rivers Villages Approximately 100 villages inundated in Baluchistan Population affected Approximately 200,000 Deaths 300 so far Missing 1,500 missing and feared dead Livestock 20,000 head of livestock (7,200 heads of cattle, 12,800 sheep and goats) Property Property worth millions of rupees washed away Houses 4,000 houses completely destroyed, another 8,000 partially damaged Cropland affected Up to 50,000 acres of standing crops reported destroyed The Response so far Government Action w Rescue operations are being hampered by the rains, mud, and washed out roads. Troops have been deployed in the area to assist in the rescue efforts. The Pakistani Air Force has managed to land a C-130 aeroplane with tents and food rations while a ship carrying relief supplies reached Gwadar on Sunday. Red Cross/Red Crescent Action w Co-ordination between the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) headquarters and its branches in Quetta, Karachi and the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) allowed the Society to send in relief items as soon as news of the floods reached them. The PRCS s own stocks have run low, due both to the response to the current disaster and to the relief supplies it donated to its sister Society in Afghanistan following last month's earthquake. As in previous disasters the Army is assisting the PRCS in transporting relief goods and personnel to the affected area. A team of medical officers from PRCS is on the spot. Efforts are currently underway to supply emergency shelter materials to Makran division. Under the Seville agreement, the Federation has the lead role in helping the PRCS respond to the flood catastrophe. The Federation Delegate in Islamabad has been supporting the PRCS since this situation unfolded. Another Delegate, on loan from the Afghanistan operation, participated in the field assessment. The Secretariat has been working with PRCS from the start, providing technical assistance and support in preparing this appeal, as well as keeping in contact with donors. The Federation has released CHF 150,000 from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund to enable immediate purchase of relief items. The ICRC has made available stocks of emergency supplies and food from its regional stocks for this operation. (These will have to be replaced later.) Co-ordination w The ICRC and the Federation in Islamabad and Geneva have been in frequent contact and are closely co-ordinating response to this disaster. Other Agencies Action w Some international NGOs are seeking to provide aid to the floods victims. A range of embassies have expressed their willingness to provide cash contributions.

3 The Intended Operation Assessment of Needs A preliminary needs assessment was conducted by PRCS branch staff and is ongoing. A Federation Logistician, on loan from the Afghanistan Delegation, participated in an aerial survey with local officials. Immediate Needs A list of immediate needs to be provided by the PRCS was sent from the local branch in Quetta; it includes tents, blankets, clothing, food and medicine. { Tents and plastic sheeting are needed to provide emergency housing. While temperatures are in the mid-twenties Celsius during the day, local residents need to have shelter from the sun and sand. { Clothing is needed for those who lost their belongings in the floods. It can be procured locally to ensure cultural norms are maintained. { Food stocks were swept away or spoiled by polluted water. A number of market places also lost food stocks. { Medicines and supplies to treat gastrointestinal and other water borne diseases are needed as are vaccines. Health officials fear an outbreak of cholera and typhoid. Reports on diarrhoea, malaria, and respiratory tract infections have already been received. Potable water is a must wells with drinking water collapsed in the flooding and are inaccessible or polluted. Anticipated Later Needs Rainfall begins in March and increases steadily, with the heaviest rains normally occurring between June and August. If this pattern is followed in 1998, the current flood situation in Pakistan will worsen. Although flooding in Makran division has not been reported for 200 years, the above average snowfall in northern and eastern areas, once the Spring snowmelt begins, could lead to flooding in Punjab and Baluchistan. Water Unsafe drinking water is one of the problems in the area. Chlorination/sterilisation is essential to ensure safe water, as are tablets/powder supplies for treatment of stagnant pools. Medicine Medical supplies are needed for treatment of flood related diseases. Replenishing of stocks in hospitals which lost medicine during the floods will also be necessary. Food This is an area where two crops a year are normal. Flooding wiped out the first, and the second, even if it is planted on time, will still not provide a normal yield. Food parcels and other essentials such as rice, sugar and wheat flour are needed to tide people over until the October harvest. Building tools and supplies Construction tools (wheelbarrows, pickaxes, buckets, shovels) and supplies are needed to provide the wherewithal for reconstruction of domestic and agricultural buildings. Tools are also needed for the rehabilitation of irrigation systems. Other items Also needed are jerry cans to transport and store potable water, cooking utensils and clothing. Two rubhalls will be obtained to provide the PRCS with the ability to establish a warehouse on-site in disaster areas.

4 Flexibility is required to allow the PRCS to move stocks to other anticipated disaster sites as the Spring floods arrive. If needs become extreme during the Spring flood season, additional funds may be sought through an amendment to this appeal. Red Cross Objectives { to assist local authorities in the provision of safe drinking water; { to provide medicine and supplies for the treatment for flood related injuries and diseases; { To provide the most vulnerable with efficient help to start rebuilding their homes; { to build upon the capacity of PRCS and to further strengthen its local branches; { to ensure that adequate DP stocks are pre-positioned for the flood season; { to provide additional training for PRCS staff and volunteers in disaster preparedness and response, including a core group of disaster relief personnel with advanced skills. National Society/Federation Plan of Action PRCS will be responsible for needs assessments, planning, implementation and reporting on the relief operation. The Society will report to the Federation using standard Federation procedures. Technical assistance will be provided by the Federation Delegates based in Peshawar and Islamabad, on loan from the Afghanistan Delegation. Additional support will be provided by the South Asia Regional Delegation. The Federation will provide technical assistance and support in reporting and meeting donor requirements for monitoring the use of Federation funds. The 40,000 beneficiaries, all in the Dasht catchment area, will be those identified as the most vulnerable by PRCS HQ and Karachi branch staff together with the local authorities. Emergency Phase To supply emergency relief items from mid March to April while replacing buffer stocks to allow adequate response in the coming flood season. Phase Two To purchase and distribute items for the reconstruction phase and to replenish exhausted stocks of relief items. To provide the PRCS with additional training opportunities to increase its capacity to respond. Capacity of the National Society In this and previous disasters PRCS has demonstrated its capacity to mobilise its members and branches and to respond to the needs of victims and their communities. Given the complex geography of Pakistan, an approach which increases the skills and response capacity of key branches to provide a national mobile response network may be more practical than increasing the number of branches in remote areas. A plan of action for strengthening the overall capacity of PRCS and its branches to respond to natural disasters will be developed. PRCS will purchase shelters, disinfectants, medicines, clothing, food and tools. Present Capacity of the Federation With Federation support from delegations in the region, the South Asia Regional Delegation, and technical services at the Secretariat, it is unlikely that additional delegates will need to be recruited for this operation.

5 Reporting, Evaluation On completion of the six-month operation, two months will be taken for reporting and evaluation. The evaluation of the efficiency of the operation will examine the overall response of all elements of the Movement, with a special focus on the capacity of the Federation's Regional Delegation in South Asia, and of PRCS. Its objective will be to assess the results of the monitoring of relief aid, and to make recommendations to improve response capacity in Pakistan and the region.. Budget summary See Annex 1 for details. Embassies (French USD 8,000, Netherlands USD 50,000, Norwegian NOK 200,000) based in Pakistan have already pledged funds through the Federation. Donors are requested to contact Kris Hurlburt, Desk officer, on ( hurlburt@ifrc.org) for more information. Conclusion The freak flooding in Pakistan marks only the beginning of what is expected to be a bad year for water related disasters. With a large mass of snow in the mountains, and Spring rains on their way, a sudden rise in temperature could result in more flash floods, and extensive flooding in several parts of the region. A narrow window of opportunity remains to get aid to these disaster victims and keep the stock levels up to meet expected future needs. Margareta Wahlström Under Secretary General, Disaster Response & Operations Coordination George Weber Secretary General

6 BUDGET SUMMARY PAKISTAN - FLOODS APPEAL N 8 /98- IN CHF ANNEX 1 NEEDS IN CASH Relief supplies Family tents (750 units x CHF 200) Medicine and medical supplies Plastic sheeting (125 Rolls x CHF 120) Supplementary food Vehicles: 2 x 4WD (maintenance/spare parts) Tools for rebuilding Tools for agriculture Blankets (1000 pieces x CHF 8) Jerry cans (1000/10 Litre x CHF 10 units) Kerosene Stoves (500 units x CHF 8) Supplies for water purification Rubhall (2 each x CHF 18,000) Cooking sets and kitchen sets (600 sets x CHF 40) Sub-total relief supplies Other needs Transport Capital expenditures (computer equipment) Capital expenditures (telecommunications equipment) Personnel (1 technical support delegate, 1 Finance Delegate / 4 50%) Travel & communications Monitoring/Evaluation Information Administrative, office & general expenses Training (4 workshop x CHF 15,000) Training preparation, materials, facilitators Secretariat operational support Sub-total other needs TOTAL APPEAL CASH 150, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , LESS CASH ON HAND NET REQUEST CASH NB: all procurement will be done in the region 775,000.00